Monday, April 23, 2007

Inspire

Got this from Sharon the AIESEC Singapore boss who got this from another AIESECer's blog. It's the thing read to the AIESEC going-to-be presidents of each country. Truly inspiring and challenge you about your beliefs and courage to bring about changes to your life, or stay true to yourself.

Read on...

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing. It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithlessand therefore trustworthy.I want to know if you can see beauty even when it's not pretty, every day,and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Too many of the times, we see the imperfections. We complain about them. We know what can be done to improve them. And we wait for others to improve them.

Many of us dare to dream. We dream big. And we dream nice. It is good to dream big. But the courage to dream should be followed up with the courage to act. Each of us, should have the courage to take small steps to start actualising our dreams, for ourselves or the society. Many a times, we get our souls checked by reality. Or our perception of reality. So action dies before it is born.

May be we should be a little more idealitic. Not just idealistic in our dreams, but idealistic about the realistic world. Idealistic about ourselves, our power. Dream that we can make a difference. And seriously make a difference. Start small. As long as you have done something that touches yourself, touches one person, you have achieved something. (Remember the starfish story?) And this achievement will empower you on for greater action. Start to make that difference.